Rising-To solemn ash

Exile on Mainstream
2011

Kind of an odd siging for Exile on Mainstream who normally have experimental/avant gard/ stoner rock bands. Rising are more of a modrn sludge act with elements of classic metal tossed in. Their sound is fairly basic without a whole lot of depth or all that many pace changes. Yet the excel in just attacking with pure brute force.They propel themselves forward with short blasts and ride those throughout. A few songs could have really used some development and perhaps a few more tempo changes would have helped. However I cannot deny that Rising manage to frequently hit like a bad of bricks being swung by a gorilla. Both the music and vocals are frequently guided by enough heaviness to maintain my interest. However a decent outing overall.

Circadian Rising-Drowned in exile

Self-produced
2009

Pennsylvania's Circadian Rising have been around for about two and a half years. I am certain exactly what I was expecting from the EP, but these guys certainly managed to make quite an impression on me with just four songs. Their influences include classic metal and early death metal. So rather than separate the two they make a valiant effort at combing the styles. The vocals are similar to the raspy style used by Chuck Schuldiner of Death. The music alternates between pounding early death metal attacks similar to Death and Obituary and swirling passages similar to prime Iron Maiden. I found this approach surprising primarily just because of the ease at which they manipulate the different sounds. The sound is slightly low in parts, but now that they are signed to Turkey Vulture records I imagine that their upcoming album will benefit from stronger production values. Circadian Rising wear their influences on their sleeves, but they are so smooth in their presentation that it is instantly likable. They manage to hammer out heavier parts as needed yet they put just enough finesse into the presentation to add some extra depth. The four songs managed to show me enough to have me ready to see what these guys can do on a full length effort.



www.myspace.com/circadianrising